Life In Richmond - An Essay

There is a lot to be thankful for when you live in Virginia. Hi, welcome to my site. I have been looking for a place to start blogging and it looks like Zoho is the perfect fit for me.

This is my first "real" attempt so please don't be too harsh.

Size Does Matter - Firepits in the City

If you're burning anything in your fire pit other than wood, or if your fire pit is bigger than 5x5, you need a permit. I don't know about Richmond, but some of the more rural localities only allow leaf burning on certain days. You must have pissed the neighbors off, I have never seen them come to backyard fire pit. I don't believe him about that either, but don't know if something like this was added. Try www.richmond.gov/fire/prevpermits.aspx Looks like you might have needed a 31C open burning - recreational fire permit. Grew up here in RVA, I don't know the code, but I can tell you it has a lot more to do with what neighborhood you are in. does anyone know how to locate the section of city code that pertains to open air residential fire pits? I tried google, but couldn't find it anywhere, and just had the fire department leave saying our pit does not meet code because there is no cover for it. We lived next-door to a building that had left its windows open during the weekend and the smoke from our fire pit set off their alarm. The fire dept came and they saw that we had a pit but with a cover so we weren't in trouble at all, so covering might be the one rule. Sounds like way too much overkill to just start a backyard fire, but it is the city. we contacted the fire chief by email, and he said our pit was fine, but there are not any set rules and it's open to the interpretation of who responds to the call.

I live and work in Richmond, I love it here, but there's a short list of cities I'd consider moving to, and Va Beach is on it. But Virginia Beach isn't far from Richmond to get your beach fix, and you can actually enjoy vacations to the beach. Virginia Beach public schools are one of the few things that would make me consider VA Beach. As someone who grew up in Pennsylvania, and lives neither in Richmond nor VA Beach, I think I can be kind of objective and say you'll like Richmond better. And I've lived everywhere, moved to Richmond 5 years ago from Boston Born and raised in Virginia Beach, and I would never go back if my parents didn't still live there. If you want good schools in Richmond area, look at west end Henrico or Northern Chesterfield. That said, everyone I've known from Va Beach and that area travels to Richmond all the time to do anything.

I planned on living in Virginia Beach "North", or whatever that area is north of the tourist area. Personally when I say areas of Richmond are "ghetto," I don't mean I feel like I am in danger there.

We are looking for a nice place to live in Virginia to raise our son and put down some roots. I'm not aware of any respectable web dev/tech companies in VA Beach, but there are several in Richmond. I just mean, you know, every city has its rough areas, but in Richmond they won't affect your life if you don't live in them.

Everything you mentioned so far makes me think that you should live in the west end of Richmond.

Traffic can get pretty nasty in the Virginia Beach area, and it's only getting worse, while the bridges and tunnels aren't getting any bigger. It's the largest government employer in the Richmond area, and I am just retiring from my Gov't IT job. All I know about VA Beach is that there's a highly-developed beach there, and I hear traffic sucks. Where are these good schools in Richmond? RVA as a whole isn't seedy, but it has just as much seediness as VB I've lived in VA Beach, Williamsburg, and Richmond, and of the 3 Richmond is the best. I suppose I was thinking more along the lines of Great Neck / Lynnhaven / North Beach area. I've heard good things about Richmond and VA Beach. You can live in the ghetto, suburbs, tourist trap, or country area of Virginia. Like any city, Richmond has good and bad areas and those terms are subjective. Can you guys tell me the differences between Richmond and VA Beach?

From what I've heard henrico is the same as far as good schools, but I belive its a bit more expensive to live in. I live in Hanover county, my boyfriend is from California and I am from New York. can't speak much to VA Beach, but I think you'd like Richmond.

Richmond would be a shorter drive for us when visiting family in Pennsylvania, so I do like that aspect. As someone who had the unfortunate luck to grow up in Virginia Beach, don't do it. So I didn't read all the responses but it seems like everyone is saying Richmond, which I agree with. Richmond is awesome about most things but is pretty poor so it's kind of ghetto in a bunch of areas. I grew up in Virginia Beach, the racist "we're the south" is very prevalent. I commuted from VA Beach to Hampton, and I lost a year of my life in that fucking shit. But I don't wanna live on the outer bounds of a sketchy area either. I didn't say there weren't good schools in Va Beach, just that there were in the RVA. I have no data re: the school situation at the beach. Any reason to choose VA Beach over Richmond? I've had a few people from Richmond PM me, telling me about jobs or offering to help me find a job. It's been awhile since I've lived in Richmond, but I don't know of a single kabob place in town. I live in a safe neighborhood in a two-bedroom house and pay $875 a month. There are a few places in Richmond that I would feel uncomfortable walking through alone after dark.

Richmond! Richmond. Born in Richmond and wanting to move back, but there are literally zero jobs in my current field. What would be some good neighborhoods/towns for us to live in, in either area? Hey I'm old with kids, closer to 50 than 40, love city life and would never live in the dreadful boring suburbs Dibs!!! You obviously haven't been there a 1,000 times I mean no where's fun when you've been there 1000 times lol Richmond. As I could only afford to live in Jackson Ward, or North RVA, etc. The triangle area would be smart, but you'd have to live with the traffic and commute. I just mean it's not a pleasant place to do my shopping or eat out, and of course I don't want to live there. I don't think you would have trouble finding a good job here at all and the housing in Richmond is very very affordable. Had the same option about 18months ago, chose RVA. Everything after is completely IMO. I moved from the north to Virginia.

About 3 years ago I had same choice, although it was Norfolk developer job or Richmond developer job. From the article: Hernico was second only to Fairfax County in terms of Virginia schools that made the list. That alone is reason enough not to live there as far as I'm concerned, but you might feel different.

Yeah but that jet noise tho Va Beach sounds cooler- bigger area with more people, and it's right by the beach, of course. There was also a really great camping area south of the tourist area I have forgotten the name. My husband is a database architect in rva, the amount of tech jobs in greater Richmond is really high. The only reason to go to Virginia Beach is for Pocahontas Pancakes.

Williamsburg puts you halfway between Richmond and VA beach, so you can have both if you want. You didn't mention schools, but there are lots of good public schools in the RVA, as well as good colleges/universities. I'm just saying that you'll be paying an astronomical amount of money to live in a decent area AND send your kids to a decent school. Yeah, I certainly don't mind living in the outer burbs of Richmond.

Just moved to Richmond two months ago, and took a job as a front end developer at teamcolab. com.

Job wise Norfolk / VA Beach there was more military contracting work that seemed very stable but less options. 3) The culture of "We're the South, Hear Us Roar" doesn't really exist in Va Beach, whether that bothers you or not.

There are no Va Beach schools above it, only NoVA schools. From what I am hearing from you, I bet you would love the west end area, or the counties. There are plenty of places inside the city that would be nice for a family, at least in my opinion.

I grew up there, it's a fabulous place to have kids, and the schools are quite good. TLDR; There's good food in Va Beach, but you have to really dig around for it. Step-cousins live in VB--only go to the beach 3-5 times a year because it's so touristy! In Richmond proper, you've got elementary schools, but middle gets dicey. I stayed in Norfolk / VA Beach several times for interviews, check out area etc.

A lot or areas in and around Richmond seem to be kinda seedy to me. Better schools, bigger city, slightly better job market Dude, I'm not moving anywhere till I have a job.

Even if you don't live there you should still go there on Halloween and 4th of July.

Fun on and Off the Water

Will Richmond give us a better plethora of safety, jobs, weather dining, shopping, etc. Virginia Beach why would you say such a thing? I wouldn't say better, all 3 counties have very good schools in the right parts. If you're open to private schools/ Montessori/Waldorf, and can afford that route, then you'll have a lot more options. Also the best sushi I've ever had was in Va Beach, but it's been so long I can't remember the name of the place. My wife and I have a 2. 5 year old, and we live in Byrd Park. All that said, all things equal no one would live in VB over Rva. Having a child, I wanna be absolutely sure we're living in a safe family friendly community where people are nice.

For shits and giggles, I looked up what Richmond had to offer in the same range and you could get entire 2000 square foot houses. Virginia Beach is just much larger. Richmond is great. Virginia Beach is very nice! 2) Va Beach is full of great food, if you know where to look. I'm a developer as well and I would definitely recommend Richmond for you. But there are zero times per year when I need to walk alone through such a place alone after dark.

I am a web developer, so I of course would have to find a job first before moving. I was working with about $230k while house hunting, and I couldn't find much better than 1200 square foot condos. Better try forest hill, bon air, Lakeside, and the "near west end" aka areas west of the downtown expressway. Although it's become QUICKLY apparent that Richmond is the better of the two. Now, all of that being said, the one thing DC has over Richmond is variety. I don't know about the school situation, but as far as safety goes, and you don't wanna be on the outer bounds? Outside the city, but a 10 minute drive in, & a great option to the West End, check out the neighborhood of Bon Air. If you want small town but still close to Richmond, consider a place like Tappahannock. Yeah, it sounds like Richmond is what we're leaning towards so far.

I'm assuming some of you will be generally knowledgable about VA Beach. I lived in VB for a few years before moving to Richmond. If you have a bunch of friends or family in one city, you need their help to help find a job.

Virginia Beach is 12 on that list. It was a blast in the summer when all the tourists were there, but everything shut down during the winter. Richmond is a great place. The same storms would affect Richmond but somewhat less severely. Only reason to choose VB is if you are one of those people with a weird passion for the beach. Regardless of where you decide to settle you should do your due diligence but you can find many safe family friendly places. One of my friends moved out to Chesterfield county , and his whole cul-de-sac got burgled in broad daylight. VA Beach is cool if you solely are interested in the beach. Yes, there are some good elementary schools and yes there are some good high schools. It's better to live downtown unless you need a really big house. Not as large a job market as Richmond, but it's really a lovely place. I'd subjectively vote for Richmond as well, but have you considered Charlottesville at all? This list has Richmond Community High at 201 EAST BROOKLAND PARK BLVD as #8. I've been here almost 10 years now and Richmond City Schools are still bad. A lot of people are going to say that living in Va Beach sucks.

So you're saying there's nowhere in the "city" that would be good for a family? The westchester/Moseley/midlothian areas of chesterfield has a lot of great schools, is 30-45 minuets from the city, and is seeing a lot of growth. Yeah, Danger-Moose won't even see you at the beach. even if he was literally 5 minutes away.

#neverforgetcorolla Saltwater does something to people.

A better comparison to RVA would be Norfolk, it's a little more urban and caters to the younger crowd. I'd kill to find a good Persian food restaurant in the 804, but when last I checked, no dice. Richmond is close enough to the beach if you ever want to go, and it's close enough to the DC area if you ever need more civilization. Mostly close to VCU. I wish there were larger concentrations of ethnic communities around the city for the reason you noted. Don't get me wrong, I love going up there for shows and day trips and outings with my friends, but having children myself I wouldn't want to live there. While there are some good elementary schools, things kind of fall apart after that. I would definitely keep the kids in mind though, and best of luck to ya with your decision.

Midlothian is great if you work there - but commutes to other parts of the city can be a nightmare. His commute Into the city is 8 minutes and the school district is better then Henrico and chesterfield. Richmond has better opportunities than VB, in my opinion. Every area of town has its own stereotypes but typically Short Pump, Midlothian and Hanover are great areas to raise kids. Richmond proper schools suck. And any wonderful areas to raise a child will be outside of any normal person's price range. Not Richmond. I absolutely love RVA. But RVA is RVA because the city has no suburbs. But there are a lot of spots in those 3 schools compared to the number of high school age kids in Richmond interested in going to college. So many software jobs around the Cox Rd area, and great schools.

Move to Richmond if you want quirky charms, a burgeoning art scene and Confederate monuments looming over you like the physical manifestation of racial tension in America. Best sushi I've ever had was at the Blue Fin in Va Beach. My boyfriends sister and her boyfriend live in Williamsburg and love it there.

I voted for Richmond :). If you do go to rva, just move to a good high-school neighborhood like Godwin or something.

There are systemic issues with the treasury, and nothing is planned or developed from a city level. I'm always on the look out when I get shawarma to see if there are actual Middle Eastern people eating there.

But Richmond. 1) THE FUCKING BEACH. You expose yourself to so many more opportunities living at the beach than just visiting. A decent private school like Good Shepherd on Forest Ave in Southaide costs about the same as daycare.

People usually move to rva because they accepted a new job that paid more than a previous job. You shouldn't have to fight this hard, and I don't trust that those parents are going to continue to do so. Web Development is a great field but you'll need business experience or a very high functioning coder for a major language or two. Awesome firework show over the river on the 4th, and a great New Orlands type Halloween parade on Halloween.

RVA on the other hand, has events year round, a pretty varied cultural composition and a pretty kickass parks system. Now it has all the traffic of DC, all the cultural void of Dallas, crazy wage deflation from the military. Its like the northside version of Colonial Heights I grew up in Williamsburg and there's no place else I'd rather be. I was fortunate to grow up less than 10 miles from the beach. I didn't say there's nowhere you can raise a family in the city. I was looking to move down to VB a few years ago for a job and a chick.

There are good private schools, but from what I've seen so far in Chestefield, that's not necessary. Other than more likelihood of being hit by a hurricane, if we're ever nuked, that area is toast. Traffic is better here than VB. Beaches are great, but parking isn't, and you'll hate everybody pretty quickly. I'm raising two kids here, just have to focus on aspects of sending kids to school. Escaping the Hampton Roads traffic alone is worth choosing RVA.

As everybody else has said, VB is a sprawling, mostly flat city. I've had excellent brunches at The Beach Pub, and The Bay Local.

Richmond / Norfolk Area

But you're right in that our water channels draw the Hampton Roads cities together in a way that excludes Richmond. Well yes and no, Williamsburg is about the midway point between Richmond and VB geographically and is still considered Hampton Roads. I think here it might be a chicken and egg thing, but I'm a journalist not a master of economics. nova is expanding south.

Regarding DC's expansion south, that was brought up and the feeling I got was that they were more interested in expanding north, joining those hubs. Abolish the independent cities, and form a greater City of Hampton Roads.

True, but Hampton Roads cities are already vastly different. And yea, I agree HRVA localities aren't as cohesive as they could be and this feels like putting the cart before the horse. lastly, we can't get hampton roads localities to work together, so good luck getting another locality in the mix. It was a very interesting presentation this morning that sounded very positive, but I anticipate some push back.

But it appears that conversations are already happening with RIC.

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. dc is already running into baltimore and creating the megalopolis corridor from nyc to dc Great points for this discussion! I think a big benefit is the infrastructure improvements.

hrva and rva are very similiar, especially in terms of traffic , so there's no way they're going to entice us to move there. Changing laws can inspire growth and change in a community, and growth must inspire change in legislation as well. It does feel a little strong-armed, especially around here where the region can be perceived as adverse to change. a few more thoughts: the map line is odd as it connects southside to rva.

rva maybe on board for both, but i'll bet money they start courting nova residents/companies to get them to move there as a replacement for nova.

Legislation is definitely part of it, but business interests are at the core of it, I believe. Let's take two areas that are vastly different in almost every way and call them one area. I'm interested to do more reading and research on the expansion of all Virginia cities.

James City County and Gloucester are probably more like Richmond's sprawl than like Virginia Beach or Norfolk. .